Health research cash boost for University

It is one of 20 NHS and University partnerships across England to receive part of a record £816m in a five-year funding package to develop new, ground-breaking treatments, diagnostics, prevention and care for patients in a wide range of diseases.

LOUGHBOROUGH University is to receive a slice of the UK’s largest ever investment into health research.

A regional consortium featuring Loughborough University and the University of Leicester, and led by University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, will receive more than £11m to establish a Biomedical Research Centre focussing on cardiovascular, respiratory and lifestyle conditions.

It is one of 20 NHS and University partnerships across England to receive part of a record £816m in a five-year funding package to develop new, ground-breaking treatments, diagnostics, prevention and care for patients in a wide range of diseases.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “The UK has so often led the world in health research – from the invention of the smallpox vaccine to the discovery of penicillin and the development of DNA sequencing.

“We are making sure the UK stays ahead of the game by laying the foundations for a new age of personalised medicine.

“We are supporting the great minds of the NHS to push the frontiers of medical science so that patients in this country continue to benefit from the very latest treatments and the highest standards of care.”

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At Loughborough University, scientists will research how physical activity can help prevent and manage obesity, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Researchers will trial a wide range of lifestyle interventions to determine the dose, frequency, intensity and duration of physical activity needed for the prevention and management of these conditions as well as elucidating the underlying mechanisms of action.

Prof Mark Lewis, from Loughborough University, said: “We know that exercise can reduce the risk of disease, but this funding enables us to dig down into the underpinning science behind why it works. Once we do that, convincing the public of the benefits of exercise becomes a much easier job.”